Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Atheists Lose First Amendment Legal Challenge to State‘s ’Year of the Bible’ Declaration

Atheists technically lost their legal battle, challenging
Pennsylvania’s “year of the Bible” declaration. That said, there’s a
light at the end of the non-theistic tunnel, as the judge, despite
ruling against secularists, also chastised state politicians for
pandering to the electorate.
In February, the foundation for the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s (FFRF) legal battle
was set after the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously
passed a resolution (H.R. 535) declaring 2012 the “Year of the Bible.”
Naturally, this riled non-believers, causing them to publicly protest
what they saw as a discriminatory breach of the separation of church and
state.
“This nation faces great challenges that will test it as it has never
been tested before … and renewing our knowledge of and faith in God
through Holy Scripture can strengthen us as a nation and a people,” a
portion of the declaration read.
After months of jockeying back and forth between the two sides, U.S.
District Judge Christopher Conner dismissed the case, siding with House
Republicans who had motioned for the court to do so (the judge said he
was bound by legislative immunity — a protection of lawmakers for actions they take within their respective duties).
While Conner dismissed the FFRF challenge, he also chastised the
lawmakers, calling the resolution a “waste of legislative resources” and
dismissing it as “exclusionary,” Philly.com reports.
“At worst, it is premeditated pandering designed to provide a
reelection sound bite for use by members of the General Assembly,” the judge wrote.
“At a time when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania faces massive public
policy challenges, these resources would be far better utilized in
meaningful legislative efforts for the benefit all of the citizens of
the Commonwealth, regardless of their religious beliefs.”

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